Watch, listen, and imitate the different voice qualities in the videos below. Can you hear/feel that you are changing the sound by holding your muscles in different positions?
Tongue Forwards
Nasal (soft palate lowers to let sound through nose)
Pharynx Squeezed (tighten your throat)
Breathy (use more air when speaking)
Creaky (your vocal folds are moving in a particular way. It sounds like bubbles or a stick being dragged against a fence)
All Muscles Tense Tongue Backwards
No Nasality (soft palate raised so sound just goes through mouth. It sounds like you have a cold)
Yawning (when you yawn your soft palate raises and your larynx lowers)
Non-Breathy (use less air when speaking)
Twang (you are tensing the epiglottis, you may feel it sounds bright and “metallic”)
All Muscles Relaxed
352
Task: Imitation
Say hello, I’m English in your own language (i.e. not in the English language). Imagine you’re an English person trying to speak your language. How do you sound different? How has your muscle setting changed?
Now go to the next page for information on the muscle setting of the Standard English Accent.